Itzik writes 'personal appeal' to Merkel to protect circumc

Circumcision is a non-partisan issue in Israel, and Germany must protect the Jewish tradition, Kadima faction chairwoman Dalia Itzik said on Thursday.

Itzik penned a letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, asking her to "exercise her authority to halt any criminal proceedings that are being conducted or which are due to be conducted against mohels in Germany, and to advance, as quickly as possible, a law permitting circumcision ceremonies upon German soil."

The Kadima faction chairwoman opened the letter by appealing to Merkel as a friend of Israel, writing that, when Itzik was speaker of the Knesset, she was "deeply impressed by [Merkel's] leadership and willingness to strengthen the bond between the Jewish and German peoples."